Gary Lineker has been accused of breaching BBC guidelines by wearing his own range of menswear while presenting coverage of England's Euro 2024 opening match against Serbia.
He Game of the day The presenter, 63, launched a range with retailer Next in 2023 and appeared to be dressed in a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket from his Next collection on Sunday night (June 16).
BBC guidelines state: “Presenters or other persons must not appear on air wearing clothing or using products or services that they have agreed or been contracted to promote, advertise or endorse or in which they have a specific financial interest.”
During the BBC's football coverage, Lineker apparently wore the same green shirt and jacket (priced at £16 and £55 respectively) that he has modeled in Next's promotional materials on its social media channels.
The BBC said The independent He declined to comment on whether individual presenters had violated advertising guidelines.
However, a spokesperson said: “Presenters/contributors provide their own wardrobe and all presenters/contributors are regularly reminded of clothing guidelines, even if they are not doing proactive promotional work.”
Neither Next nor Lineker representatives responded to a request for comment.
England's Euro 1 opener is not the first time the BBC pundit has been accused of breaking BBC advertising rules. During the 2018 World Cup, the BBC acknowledged that Lineker had breached guidelines by sharing promotional posts on social media about a TM Lewin jersey while he was the face of the men's clothing brand.
The broadcast said Lineker had made “a real mistake.”
In 2022, Lineker's colleague Alex Scott was told by the BBC to stop promoting items from Reiss, where she was a brand ambassador, while presenting coverage of the World Cup in Qatar. Posting in an orange single-breasted jacket and baggy trousers, Scott tagged Reiss in the photo and wrote in the caption: “Working vibrant World Cup stuff with @bbcfootball @bbcsport.”
A BBC spokesman said The Daily Mail At that time he had addressed the issue directly with the station: “We have spoken with Alex, who has removed the label and will not repeat this,” they said.
Lineker has also been criticized for his collection with Next by animal rights activists for the use of mohair wool. Last year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claimed that the collection was “made with hair from abused goats” and denounced Next for “profiting” from “cruel and inhumane” practices on Angora goats.
“Most buyers would be upset if mohair sweaters and suits are made with the hair of abused goats that scream in fear when restrained,” said a PETA representative. Other major brands, including Marks & Spencer, Zara, H&M and Gap, have banned the use of mohair in their clothing.
In response to the claims, Next said it only uses mohair certified to the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). “All mohair that is not RMS certified is banned from Next,” a spokesperson said.
